This invention relates to vehicular lamp assemblies and, in particular, to vehicular lamp assemblies wherein an inner cavity thereof containing a lamp and associated connections is sealed from the elements so as to be water and weathertight.
It is often necessary in vehicular lamp assemblies that the lamp itself and associated connections be protected from contact with the elements, particularly rain and water. Entry of water could promote electrical short circuits, corrode connections and possibly shatter the bulb through thermal shock. Accordingly, it is often necessary and desirable to provide such vehicular lamp assemblies which are sealed against entry of water, dust and other damaging elements. Further, lamp assemblies utilized on such vehicles as boat trailers are often submersed in water when launching and loading a boat.
Yet another often encountered problem concerns the all too frequent breakage of vehicular lamp bulbs due to road shocks and vibrations transmitted from the associated vehicular structure to the filaments of the light bulbs. Because such vehicles as boat trailers are often poorly sprung, the breakage problem is even greater than normal.
Efforts to overcome the above problems have been made by others but these vehicular lamp units are often plagued with drawbacks. Such lamp assemblies are often provided with a seal positioned between a lens and a body portion of the lamp assembly. These seals are prone to leakage and further, when replacing burned out light bulbs, the seals are frequently damaged or misplaced. Other submersible lamp units include a pliable base portion which engages a lip of a lens portion to attempt to create a watertight seal. The lens portion often works loose from the pliable base portion, thereby permitting water to seep into and damage the assembly.